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Optimization of Surfactin Production by Bacillus subtilis Isolate BS5

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Abstract

Bacillus subtilis BS5 is a soil isolate that produces promising yield of surfactin biosurfactant in mineral salts medium (MSM). It was found that cellular growth and surfactin production in MSM were greatly affected by the environmental fermentation conditions and the medium components (carbon and nitrogen sources and minerals). Optimum environmental conditions for high surfactin production on the shake flask level were found to be a slightly acidic initial pH (6.5–6.8), an incubation temperature of 30°C, a 90% volumetric aeration percentage, and an inoculum size of 2% v/v. For media components, it was found that the optimum carbon source was molasses (160 ml/l), whereas the optimum nitrogen source was NaNO3 (5 g/l) and the optimum trace elements were ZnSO4·7H2O (0.16 g/l), FeCl3·6H2O (0.27 g/l), and MnSO4·H2O (0.017 g/l). A modified MSM (molasses MSM), combining the optimum medium components, was formulated and resulted in threefold increase in surfactin productivity that reached 1.12 g/l. No plasmid could be detected in the tested isolate, revealing that biosurfactant production by B. subtilis isolate BS5 is chromosomally mediated but not plasmid-mediated.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr. Khaled Abou-Shanab, a lecturer of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, for kindly providing the standard E. coli DH5α/pUC18 and giving advice on plasmid detection in the tested isolate.

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  1. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

    A. Mohammad Abdel-Mawgoud, M. Mabrouk Aboulwafa & Nadia Abdel-Haleem Hassouna

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  1. A. Mohammad Abdel-Mawgoud
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  2. M. Mabrouk Aboulwafa
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  3. Nadia Abdel-Haleem Hassouna
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Correspondence to M. Mabrouk Aboulwafa.

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Abdel-Mawgoud, A.M., Aboulwafa, M.M. & Hassouna, N.AH. Optimization of Surfactin Production by Bacillus subtilis Isolate BS5. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 150, 305–325 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-008-8155-x

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